medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>From: Rod McCaslin <[log in to unmask]>
>Are you saying that the term was not used
>outside of Gaelic? Would you qualify this by pointing out that many Scots
>traditions are simply a transfer of traditions from Ireland as a result of
>the migrations to Scotland from Ireland in the 5th century and after?
What I *meant* to suggest was that the word was not used outside the Irish
tradition and its derivatives--which you rightly identified as Gaelic
(Irish, Scots, and Manx--and I'd add Nova Scotian). I was rushing and didn't
qualify my statement to the extent that I should have. For example, while
Samain and Samhain were once used in some areas of Scotland, before the
Irish and Scots languages diverged enough to be considered two languages,
later the word evolved into Samhuinn among gaidhlig speakers with an
additional meaning (assembly), a change often not mentioned or glossed over
in Scottish folklore books. I was trying to emphasize that the word Samhain
was not a pan-Celtic usage (so many books, popular and scholarly, tend to
say that Samhain was a "Celtic" feast when actually, it's not clear that
there was a beginning of winter feast in all Celtic-speaking areas, and it's
not clear what any such feast was called outside of Ireland and other Gaelic
areas).
I don't feel comfortable speaking of Scottish traditions as "transfers from
Ireland" since comparing customs suggests that customs that originated in
Ireland almost always evolved and changed over time in Scotland, often
mixing with Norse traditions (several Highland clans were a thorough mix of
Gaelic and Norse--for example, look at the placenames at the southeastern
end of Skye where my family originated). And in some places, the Norse were
more numerous as settlers than the giadhlig-speakers. Similar evolution
(including mixing emigrant Irish and Norse traditions) took place on the
Isle of Man. So, while some traditions can be said to have originated in
Ireland, I wouldn't see them simply as transfers.
Seamas O/ Catha/in's _Festival of Bridget_ includes detailed study of the
Norse influence on Scottish Gaelic birth customs. If you can't find it via
ILL in the States, try www.booksforshcolars.com (Tennessee). It's almost
impossible to get in the U.S. unless you bump into it by luck (which I
did--I found my copy in an Irish import shop while I was on vacation in
Seattle a couple of years ago), so you may want to try amazon.uk or an
Ireland-based book service like ReadIreland or Kenney's.
Francine Nicholson
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